Rental Housing Committee

City of Mountain View Minutes Rental Housing Committee Monday, September 16, 2019 7:00 PM Council Chambers - 500 Castro 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present 5- Committee Member Susyn Almond, Committee Member Julian Pardo de Zela, Vice Chair Emily Ramos, Chair Matthew Grunewald, and Alternate Nicole Haines-Livesay Absent 1- Committee Member Vanessa Honey 3. MINUTES APPROVAL 3.1 Approve the minutes for August 12, 2019 RHC Meeting MOTION: M/S - Ramos/ Almond - To approve the minutes for the August 12, 2019 RHC meeting. Yes: 4- Committee Member Almond, Committee Member Pardo de Zela, Vice Chair Ramos, and Chair Grunewald Absent: 1- Committee Member Honey Abstain: 1- Alternate Haines 4. CONSENT CALENDAR - None 5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC Maria Rangel expressed her love of Mountain View's diversity and asks the RHC to help keep rents affordable. Anna explained that she can no longer afford the rent in Mountain View and has been living in a shelter. 6. APPEAL HEARINGS - None 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS - None 8. NEW BUSINESS 8.1 Rental Housing Committee input for potential City-Initiated 2020 Ballot City of Mountain View Page 1 Rental Housing Committee Minutes September 16, 2019 Measure to amend the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act Housing and Neighborhood Services Manager Wong presented a report and responded to questions. SPEAKING FROM THE FLOOR WITH COMMENTS: Alex Brown Stan Joan MacDonald The RHC provided input regarding potential amendments to the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act discussed at the September 4, 2019 CSFRA Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting for the City Council to consider for a potential City-initiated 2020 ballot measure. In general, the RHC would like to impress on the City Council that any amendment to the CSFRA should be clear and specific to maximize chances of voter adoption. The RHC unanimously agreed on each of the following recommendations, with a goal of addressing the most acute pain points of administering the CSFRA and maximizing likelihood of success of a potential ballot measure: 1. The RHC believes that the CSFRA is clear regarding the relative independence of the RHC and is not in support of amending the CSFRA in order to fundamentally change the relationship between the RHC and City Council. The RHC always keeps the “intent of the voters” in mind as well as the “text of the CSFRA”. If the City Council desires to be more involved in administration of the CSFRA, the RHC would welcome a more collaborative process in the form of consultations or guidance. Also, the RHC already voluntarily adopted Code of Conduct Regulations in accordance with the City standard. 2. The RHC is not in support of amending the CSFRA in order to provide City Council with the right to oversee any suspension of the CSFRA. The RHC feels that it was clearly the intent of the voters that the RHC maintain this authority independent of the City Council. 3. The RHC does not support oversight by City Council of its funds and/or budget. The RHC takes its budgeting task very seriously and in the two years of CSFRA’s existence built up a reserve of 20% of its budget in accordance with City standards, totaling $382,000 to cover unexpected expenses such as litigation costs. 4. The RHC is not in support of amending the CSFRA to mandate registration for landlords. The RHC has the authority now to require mandatory registration and can provide incentives through adoption of Regulations. 5. The RHC would support a change in the CSFRA to provide flexibility for the RHC to deal with unclear or unintentional consequences of current language in the CSFRA regarding exemptions in the CSFRA. The RHC would support amendments to the CSFRA to achieve consistency with regard to exempt units ( for example, exempting all single family homes even with an ADU on the property as well as one duplex located on a separate lot), but would like any rental property with 3 or more units be covered under the CSFRA. Any amendment to cover units previously exempt needs to set the appropriate base year for those units or grant the RHC authority to set the appropriate base year. 6. The RHC supports an amendment to create a separate petition process applicable only to seismic retrofit costs, as well as an amendment that gives the RHC the authority to determine further categories of capital improvements that could be subject to a separate petition process. The parameters and process for such petitions should be at City of Mountain View Page 2 Rental Housing Committee Minutes September 16, 2019 the discretion of the RHC. 7. The RHC is not in support of amending the CSFRA to change the AGA from its current level of 100% of CPI. The text of the original CSFRA ballot measure was clear on this subject, and the RHC feels that any attempted modification to the AGA would threaten the viability of the amendment with the voters. 8. The RHC supports the notion that Mobile Homes deserve rent stabilization protections and encourages the City Council to draft an ordinance as soon as possible to address this unique situation. The RHC respectfully requests City Council to include and utilize the RHC’s guidance in drafting such ordinance if the City Council considers tasking the RHC with implementation and administration. This would ensure proper implementation considerations including how budgetary consequences can be successfully borne by the CSFRA program. 8.2 Quarterly Financial Expenditures FY 2018-19 through June 30, 2019 Program Manager van Deursen presented a report and responded to questions. SPEAKING FROM THE FLOOR WITH COMMENTS: No public comments were received. The RHC reviewed the Quarterly Financial Expenditures for Fiscal Year 2018-19 through June 30, 2019. 8.3 CSFRA Fund Results for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2019 Program Manager van Deursen presented a report and responded to questions. SPEAKING FROM THE FLOOR WITH COMMENTS: No public comments were received. The RHC reviewed and acknowledged the year-end results for the CSFRA Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019. 8.4 Rental Housing Committee Meeting Schedule Program Manager van Deursen presented a report and responded to questions. SPEAKING FROM THE FLOOR WITH COMMENTS: No public comments were received. MOTION: Ramos/ Haines-Livesay - To adopt a Resolution, as amended, establishing a meeting schedule for the Rental Housing Committee for the remainder of 2019 and for calendar year 2020. Yes: 5- Committee Member Almond, Committee Member Pardo de Zela, Vice Chair Ramos, Chair Grunewald, and Alternate Haines Absent: 1- Committee Member Honey 9. COMMITTEE/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS, UPDATES, REQUESTS, AND COMMITTEE City of Mountain View Page 3 Rental Housing Committee Minutes September 16, 2019 9.1 10. ADJOURNMENT - At 10:00 p.m., Chair Grunewald adjourned the meeting to the next RHC meeting to be held on Monday, October 7, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 500 Castro Street. City of Mountain View Page 4